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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24362761">Alu Falls</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuddlelester/pseuds/Cuddlelester'>Cuddlelester</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:29:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,187</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24362761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuddlelester/pseuds/Cuddlelester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After inheriting the family farm, Dan follows in the footsteps of his deceased grandfather. While learning the daily struggles of owning a farm for the first time, he also learns that this small town isn't as perfect as it may seem.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dan Howell &amp; Phil Lester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Alu Falls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Today had been one of the weirdest days of my life. It had only been two weeks since the news of my grandfathers death, yet here I was about to follow in his footsteps. Part of me wondered why the hell he had passed his beloved farm down to me, but my family had never exactly made things easy.</p><p>It had been years since I was last here; back before my mom decided that she wanted her son to work in an office for his whole life. Sure it was good pay, but I always yearned for something more. I guess I got what I wished for in the end.</p><p>I shifted my eyes down to the gravel road my cab was driving on, I guess this town had fallen apart since I was last here.</p><p>"Been years since I last heard the name Alu Falls," The cab driver told me, breaking our silence.</p><p>"Yeah," I agreed emptily as my eyes caught sight of an old man standing on the side of the road.</p><p>I paid my cab driver and pushed the door open, thanking him as I grabbed my bags from the floor before shutting the door behind me. He sped off as the old man approached me with open arms.</p><p>It was a bit weird that he knew I would be here, but I shrugged it off. This was a small town after all.</p><p>"Welcome! You must be Daniel!" He smiled happily, his arms falling to his side. "Welcome to Alu Falls!"</p><p>"Uhh Yeah that's me," I told him with a shy smile.</p><p>Being the awkward isolated guy I was used to being, I had no idea how to talk to someone I didn't really know. Especially while I was alone in a foreign place.</p><p>We talked as he lead me to my new home; it turns out that the old man was the Mayor of this little town. Seeing how nobody ever comes here, word spread fast of my arrival. The thought of everybody knowing I was here sent my stomach into a whirl as I now felt obligated to talk to people.</p><p>We soon arrived at my grandpas old farm, granted it needed some love but it was just as pretty as I remembered.</p><p>"Your grandfather loved this place. It was his pride and joy," The mayor said with a smile as handed me a set of keys. "I'm glad to see it go into good hands."</p><p>I chuckled as I clenched the keys in my hand, "Well I'll try my best. I'm not exactly a farmer."</p><p>"There's always room for improvement," He hummed before turning away from me. "I know you'll do well!"</p><p>And with that, he was gone. I sighed as I looked over to the beaten wooden cabin in front of me. It was weird to call this place my own. I had always lived in the big city with a small apartment that I paid way too much for. My mom had hated this farm with every fiber of her being and I never understood why she did. </p><p>I unlocked the old wooden door and pushed it forward. My eyes met with a dusty living room; it looked as if nobody had lived here in years but it had only been a few weeks since my grandfather had passed. Things didn't seem to add up somehow.</p><p>"Fuck," I sighed and placed my bag down onto the floor.</p><p>Cleaning would be expected in this situation, though I was hoping it wasn't going to be as much as it ended up being. Hours passed as I cleaned and vacuumed the entire house. It wasn't until I was finally ready for a nap that I realized there was nowhere for me to sleep.</p><p>I groaned loudly as I peeled myself up from the floor. There was no way I was going into town smelling the way I did, especially if there were people wanting to meet me.</p><p>A knock arose from my door just as I got the energy to actually shower; figures. I pulled the door open and I was greeted by a small redheaded lady, her hair parted into two long blonde braids.</p><p>"Hey there! Sorry to bother you," She chirped happily.</p><p>"Can I help you?" I asked as I pushed my sweaty curls back against my forehead.</p><p>She stared at me for a moment before coming back to her senses, "Your grandpa asked me to give this to you once you arrived. I'm not really sure what it is."</p><p>My brown eyes moved down to the letter in her hand, "A letter?"</p><p>She shrugged as she handed it to me, "He told me that he didn't trust Louis with it."</p><p>"Louis?" I questioned as I looked back up to her.</p><p>She smiled politely, "Oh right. Forgot you aren't akin to everyone here yet. Louis is the mayor."</p><p>What secrets were enclosed in a letter he couldn't trust the Mayor with? As far as I knew everyone here was on fairly good terms with each other. But I guess every town has their secrets.</p><p>"Thank you," I replied with a shy smile. "I didn't catch your name?"</p><p>She blushed as she pushed her hands back into her jean pockets, "It's Claire."</p><p>"Nice to meet you," I hummed with a smile. "My grandpa must have trusted you if he left this with you then."</p><p>She shrugged with a small giggle, "I guess so. I should get going though. Have a good evening Dan!"</p><p>I waved to her before closing the door behind me, my eyes immediately moving down to the letter in my hand.</p><p>Of course I ripped it open, sliding the paper out and unfolding it slowly and reading it aloud to myself.</p><p>
  <em>Dan,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>If you're reading this it means that I have passed on. I do hope you are enjoying the farm as much as I did!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Alu falls is a cute town, but don't let it fool you. It has it's secrets. Im sure you'll find some of them out on your own but since you're new ill let you in on one of the more important ones.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You cannot trust Mayor Louis. He will do anything for money.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>On that note, look under the floorboard in the bedroom with the black mark on it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Love,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Grandpa Ryan</em>
</p><p>Baffled, I folded up the letter and pushed it into the side of my backpack and walked into the bedroom.</p><p>I shook my head as I crawled around on the floor looking for the black mark. It took me almost fifteen minutes to find, but eventually I found the damn thing.</p><p>It took a few tries to pry open because I'm the weakest person in this town, but once I got it open I noticed a small box sitting underneath.</p><p>Inside it was wads of cash and a little note from my grandpa.</p><p>
  <em>Now you have a secret too.</em>
</p><p>"Jesus," I huffed as I looked down at the hundreds of dollars in my hand.</p><p>I guess living here was going to be a bit more exciting than I originally thought.</p><p> </p>
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